At dinner, I’ve taken to having Pietro, the chef, deliver my food straight to my room, and thankfully Luciano hasn’t raised hell about it yet. Every day, I pace the halls lined with the Carlisi ancestor portraits, their ghostly eyes boring into me, silently judging. If they were here, they would call me an imposter. I’m desperate to figure out where the hell I fit into this mess. My mind’s been in overdrive since I got here.
Why did Dad and I scrape by, living hand-to-mouth for years, while Mum was living in this mansion, surrounded by maids and chefs? Why hasn’t she ever reached out? Or did she try, only for Dad to shut her down? What tore them apart? All I’ve pieced together is she was around for my first year and thenpoof, gone, erased from my life like she never existed.
Lost in my thoughts, I round the corner into the library, only to collide with Gabriele. His nose is buried so deep in a book, he acts like the world outside those pages doesn’t exist; that I don’t exist. I barelycatch myself, nearly knocking over a vase that looks like it should be in a gallery.
“Ow,” I snap, clutching my arm as I hit the floor.
“Charlotte, what’re you doing down there?” Gabriele asks, looking down at me.Is he serious right now?
“You ran into me,” I growl, trying to adjust myself on the floor.
“Did I?” His tone’s flat, like he’s stating a fact, not asking. “Sorry!” he mutters while turning away and walking back down the hall, his nose buried back in the book.
“I’ll just pick myself up, no need to help,” I call after him. When I look up, I notice the office door is shut. Luciano must be in there and I just raised my voice outside. Shit!
Gabriele flicks me a lazy wave in the air, an unspoken ‘thanks’ without stopping. What’s wrong with these men?
Not wanting to be this close to Luciano, I decide some fresh air might help clear my head. I’ve seen the backyard from my balcony every day, but walking through it might feel different. The grass is so perfect, it almost looks fake. The deck screams party, with a built-in kitchen and shimmering pool with a hidden rock cave, slide and swim-up bar. This area was clearly made for fun. I wonder how often they throw parties—so far, I haven’t seen anyone out here.
Off to the side, a narrow path lined with garden lights catches my eye. Curiosity pulls me along it, faint music drifting through the air. I follow the sound and find a sleek, modern two-story house hidden from the main mansion’s view.
Glancing back to make sure I’m not being followed, I sneak around to the patio, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mystery voice that has a familiarity to it. Before my eyes is a shirtless Mattia. His hair hangs loosely around his face while he’s lost in his guitar, strumming and singing like a carefree kid.
I get so drawn into his voice and the emotional lyrics that I don’t realize I’ve stepped on a stick.
Crunch.
His head snaps up, eyes locking onto me like a predator. The carefree kid vanishes, and now he’s a hunter sizing up his prey. A grin tugs at his mouth when he sees it’s me. “Look who finally made it outside the mansion today.”
“I thought a walk might do me good,” I mutter, feeling guilty for being caught spying on him.
“Well, don’t just stand there. Come on over.” He pats the spot on the outdoor couch beside him.
“Do you live here?” I ask, my eyes taking in the house in front of me as I walk over and sit beside him. Mattia slides closer, his arm snaking around my shoulders, pulling me in until I’m pressed snug against his side.
“Yeah,” he says casually. “Gabriele, Stefano, and Carlo do too.”
I raise a skeptical brow. “Full house, huh?”
He shrugs, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips. “We mostly just crash here. The main house is where all the action happens.”
I can’t quite pick it, but it feels like he’s hiding something. “Then why are you here now, and not at the main house?”
His voice softens, almost showing me a vulnerable side of him. He runs his hand along the edge of his guitar. “After a hard day, sometimes I like to be alone for a bit.”
Suddenly, I feel very awkward. “Shit, sorry. I’ll just go.”
But before I can move off the couch, Mattia’s laugh rings out around us. He grabs me by the waist and pulls me onto his lap. “You’re not going anywhere,” he chuckles dangerously.
I frown. It’s like he just flicked a switch and whatever’s bothering him has now been pushed away, turning on his playful side. “What’s the deal with you five, anyway?” I ask instead.
His eyes don’t give away anything. “They’re my brothers.”
“I know that already, but you’re so different from each other.”
He chuckles again. He pushes my hair back behind my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. “What do you want to know?” He sighs as he leans against the back of the chair, stretching his arms behind his head.
“Gabriele said you guys were too old to be adopted,” I mention, looking at him in the eyes to make sure he’s telling the truth.
